


A Place in The Pack

by StandinShadow



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Allura and Coran are fairies, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Families of Choice, Fluff and Angst, Hunk (Voltron) is so Pure, Hurt/Comfort, Keith (Voltron) is Bad at Feelings, Korean Keith (Voltron), Pining Keith (Voltron), Still undecided if it will be Heith or maybe Klunk toward the end thoughts?, The paladins are a pack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-16
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-02 18:38:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,528
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11515131
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StandinShadow/pseuds/StandinShadow
Summary: The paladins are the best werewolf pack in the Garrison, so it's no surprise they get assigned to protect Altea, the Fairy kingdom. It is a surprise when they find another wolf already there doing their job, and he turns out to be a friend from their past. Turns out the Garrison might be shadier than they thought and Keith might finally get to stop pining after all.





	1. Lone

Hunk climbed out of the small bus, smiling as he took in the wide expanse of green in front of him. There were miles of trees, leaves thick and heavy from the recent spring rains. Hunk can barely make out the small spaces between them, the soft rolling hills and rocky cliffs that will be their new home. He couldn’t wait to find the springs and grottos that supposedly lay hidden in the woods of Altea. The fairy kingdom was known for its great natural beauty and its advanced technology, and Hunk couldn’t imagine a better place for a werewolf like him.

Oh yeah, by the way, Hunk is a werewolf. He wasn’t the kind of werewolf most people expected, all fierce and with picture perfect five-hour scruff and spending all his time by himself until he meets the right mysterious lady. Mostly because those kind of weres didn’t actually exist (well, Shiro could probably pull off the look if not the attitude if he could grow a beard, but he couldn’t). Humans and wolves alike were pack animals, so it wasn’t surprising werewolves were too, mostly living in tight-knit groups and staying close together. Hunk had never met a werewolf without a pack before.

Well. He had, but that was … complicated and not something Hunk wanted to dwell on, not until they found him and brought him home.

“I can’t believe our first job is protecting Altea,” Hunk said instead with a warm smile, taking another step toward the woods, even though he know they had to stop by the palace apartments before they got to go their safe house. Werewolves trained at the Garrison to become the protectors of the various elf and fae kingdoms and cities, sometimes vampires as well. Typically first assignments were out in the middle of nowhere or doing side jobs at the academy. Not protecting one of the most important magical cities in the world. “We’re not even far from the city out here.”

“I can, we were the best of the best at the Garrison,” Lance answered with a grin of his own, gaze practically glowing as he took the forest in. He threw one hand out, spreading it out across the forest as though to indicate all of this land was theirs (to protect). “And you know, rumor has it something has been protecting their borders so it’s not as intense as usual, but I bet that’s old wives’ tale.”

“Yeah, but still, for a first assignment? And imagine all the stuff Pidge and I are gonna be able to build,” Hunk mused, glancing over at his other friend/partner in crime with a soft smile. Pidge returned it with a devious smirk of her own, still typing away on her phone. She’d had that expression almost from the moment they’d been assigned Altea, already mapping out the closest scientific labs and mechanic shops to their base. As the protectors of Altea, they got certain perks, and those included free access to building whatever they wanted (Hunk was pretty sure Pidge scared someone into giving them that, but he wasn’t going to question it).

“Flying cars that go as fast as bullet trains,” Pidge said, smirk growing into a wide, almost maniacal smile as she glanced up at the sky. Hunk swallowed, shaking his head a little, because he both knew they could do and that it was a bad idea. He didn’t want to fall out of the sky.

“Or we could make something that sounds less terrifying,” Hunk threw out with a small shrug, turning his gaze back toward Pidge now that he had the image of planes out of his head. Pidge pouted, but nodded a little, arms crossed. She’d lost her partner in cryptid hunting and questionable decisions three months ago, and Hunk knew he and Lance weren’t quite cutting it as replacements in those regards. But Hunk also really liked avoiding potential injuries. It was one of his favorite things. “Like a really fancy coffee machine or a jetpack.”

“You guys are both nerds,” Lance pointed out with a small, put upon sigh. He rolled his eyes as he turned to follow Shiro, who had started toward the palace while they were still trying to decide what to create.

“It’s what got us here,” Pidge reminded him with a pointed look, glancing up at Lance over her glasses as she and Hunk followed after him. She crossed her arms behind her back, giving Lance a sly grin as she caught up to his side, walking a little faster than Lance due to the differing lengths of their stride. He glanced back down at her, eyebrows scrunching together in suspicion. Hunk raised an eyebrow of his own, wondering what Pidge was planning. It could be small, or it could be so cutting Lance never recovered. “Anyway, like you’re not?”

Not cutting then, just a little teasing that drew a soft laugh from Lance. Lance shook his head, crossing his arms behind his head as he glanced up at the palace. His gaze grew more determined as he stopped next to Shiro, like he was about to fight a war. Lance glanced back at both of them, eyes growing soft and dreamy as he ran a hand through his hair. Oh, Hunk knew that look. Not a war, then. “Nah, see I’m here to be the cool and mysterious wolf who wins the heart of the beautiful fairy princess.”

“One step at a time, Lance,” Shiro answered with a slight scoff, tone light and teasing. There was a glint in his eye though, that made Hunk raise an eyebrow even as Shiro turned to look back at the palace with a neutral expression. Was that a hint of jealousy Hunk saw? “And let’s keep our commentary to ourselves since she’s coming out now.”

Hunk tucked that information away for later, instead choosing to concentrate on the beautiful, intricate marble work around him as they went through the gate into the palace courtyard. There were thick fruit trees all around them, the scent of oranges filling the air and mixing with the lavender and roses that surrounded the stone path they were following to a fountain. Said fountain was more marble, this time a grey shade, with a statue of a handsome and kind looking bearded man rising from the water, a waterfall cascading from his staff. King Alfor.

And there in front of the fountain, were Princess Allura and her advisor Coran. Allura stood before the statue of her father, the wide pleats of her white skirt spreading across the ground and making it look like she was floating as she walked toward them. The dress shifted to a light pink as Hunk’s gaze reached her bodice, sleeves growing wider as they fell from her, ending just before they reached her hands, slender fingers visible as she shifted her hands. There was a light blue trim around the sleeves and the sweetheart neckline, adding to the overall fairy tale effect of her look that could’ve been achieved by her face alone. Her long white hair was worn in a simple braid, a striking contrast with her deep blue eyes and warm smile.

Hunk was getting why Lance and Shiro had crushes on her, even if his heart was still longing after someone else.

“Paladins, welcome to our kingdom,” Allura called, voice soft and commanding at the same time, words clipped but somehow still pleasant. Next to her, Coran smiled warmly, teeth a blinding white against the equally blinding orange of his mustache. Hunk had the feeling he was going to get along great with all of them, if his cheer was anything to go by. “I do hope you found your journey enjoyable.”

“Oh, that we did, Princess,” Lance answered with a small smirk, wriggling his eyebrows as he took a step toward her. Next to him, Pidge made a small gagging noise and Hunk nudged her with his shoulder. They weren’t going to ruin their friend’s chances to win Allura over, even if Hunk had the feeling this was the wrong way to go about it. Allura frowned, scrunching her eyebrows together in confusion as Lance bent down to kiss her hand.

Hunk watched as she caught Shiro’s gaze as Lance stepped back, the two of them smiling sheepishly, almost looking guilty. Hunk filed that away, because the mystery of Shiro and Allura was only getting more interesting and would be a fun side case when he wasn’t busy protecting the forest or making robots with Pidge. “We’re happy to be here to help keep the forests and prairies of Altea safe from harm.”

“Yes, though I only see four of you, I expected five,” Coran suddenly said, holding up his hands to count them, frowning when his fingers stopped at four. He started again when Shiro held up a hand, gaze looking a little pained as he cut off Coran’s counting.

“Five? Well, the Paladin teams usually are in groups of five, but our … anticipated fifth member wasn’t able to serve,” Shiro explained, smile calm even though his voice was a little tight. Hunk frowned at that, glancing over at Shiro with a sympathetic look. They’d avoided the elephant not in the room for months while Shiro focused on his recovery, but maybe it was time they actually got around to talking about it. After the meeting, anyway.

Coran however, scrunched his eyebrows together, one hand coming up under his chin as he leaned forward. He looked almost suspicious as he gazed at them. “Are you sure?”

“Of course they’re sure, Coran,” Allura cut him off, taking a step forward and giving him a pointed look until he took a step back. Hunk let out a small sigh of relief, having started to feel guilty without being sure why. Allura gave them another bright smile, hands on her hips and looking every inch a leader and princess. “Well, no matter the number, we’re so happy to have you hear. I hope you’ll find your accommodations satisfactory and close enough to town.”

“They look awesome! Everything here is so modern and plastic,” Hunk called out and then frowned as he thought about the second half of what he said. He and Pidge exchanged worried glances. Neither of them had ever done much work in plastic before; though Hunk was sure they could figure it out. They didn’t graduate at the top of their metal works and alchemy classes at the Garrison for nothing.

“Well, we do have an aversion to steel,” Coran explained with a blithe smile, shrugging as Pidge’s shoulders deflated a little. Then a twinkle came into the older man’s eye as he glanced between the two of them. “But other types of metals are more than fine!”

“Good, because we’re gonna make you the coolest staff,” Pidge promised as she leaned over to shake his hand. Hunk grinned, nodding in agreement before catching Allura’s gaze. She smiled at him softly, thoughtfully as she bowed. Hunk couldn’t help but feel like she was trying to get a feel on all of them, something suspicious still hanging in the air. Hunk hoped it was just his nerves playing tricks on him and not his instincts trying to tell him something was missing (even if someone was). 

* * *

  “So, are we gonna talk about Keith or?” Hunk finally said as they all walked through the winding path from the palace to their safe house in the woods, still human as per Allura’s instructions. There were a few cottages on the outskirts, and they didn’t want to scare anyone or give away the secrets of the woods if they didn’t have to. Shiro froze in front of him, Lance running into his back and stumbling a little as he turned to glare at Hunk. “Sorry, it’s just obvious that’s what we we’re all thinking about.”

“He’s not here and he’s not part of our team even if he was supposed to be, not a lot to say,” Lance called back shortly, crossing his arms a little in what Hunk wanted to joke was a good imitation of their missing member. He bit his tongue though, because the air had just gotten a little tenser. Despite their claimed rivalry, Lance was the one most upset by Keith’s disappearance, the two having finally become friends when Keith got thrown out of the Garrison and then disappeared, phone going dead and emails never answered.

“But I would like to know what happened,” Shiro said suddenly, turning around to gaze at Hunk with tired eyes. He’d still been missing when Keith left; only found a few weeks later after they’d lost contact with him. They thought Keith might reply after that, but it had still been radio silence. On bad nights, Hunk wondered if the other boy was even still alive. But he tried not to think too hard about that possibility.

“Right, after you … disappeared with your first pack, Keith got … moodier. A lot moodier,” Lance answered, expression growing still and worried. Hunk wondered if his mind had gone Hunk’s had gone. Red rimmed eyes with no life in them, expression terrifyingly blank. Moody wasn’t the word he would’ve used.

Shiro seemed to have the same thought, frowning softly as he scratched his chin a little. “Moodier?”

“He was distant, aloof, stopped having lunch with us, it was like all the progress we made in those six months was gone,” Lance said with a small sigh, gaze growing soft and a little pained as he remembered that month between when Shiro vanished and Keith followed suit, how Keith the boy slowly disappeared like he’d never existed at all. Hunk still missed his surprisingly light laugh, the way his eyebrows scrunched in confusion, his little pouts and those soft smiles and dimples that had been coming easier and easier until Shiro left (Keith _might_ be the person Hunk had a crush on). “After awhile, he started spending most of his time as a wolf.”

“We didn’t know what to do, and Iverson was mad at all of us for not moving on more quickly. Told Keith it was your fault you got kidnapped by the vampires, so Keith … bit him,” Pidge added, not quite able to stop the impish smile at the end of her sentence. After all, Matt Holt had gotten blamed for his own kidnapping as well. That, and Iverson was just an asshole in general and there had been celebrating across the Garrison when he got fired a few days after Shiro’s and the Holt’s return.

“He bit him?” Shiro asked, eyes growing wide as the hand resting under his chin fell to his side. His mouth was hanging open in surprise. That was Keith for them, shocking people when he wasn’t even there.

“Oh yeah, real hard,” Lance agreed, letting out a fond chuckle as the annoyance in his gaze faded into something more tender. “I’m surprised he left Keith on our squad seeing as he threw him out, but I guess it’s hard to find werewolves who are good at fighting and magic and actually wanna protect the woods.”

“Yeah and I mean, it wasn’t really Keith’s fault,” Hunk pointed out with a small shrug, wincing as those empty eyes and tear streaked cheeks came back into his memory. How Keith had gone into his room and Hunk hadn’t followed even though he knew it was unlocked. “Like, the biting was and the moodiness, but we … we weren’t really there for him. No one was.”

“We gave him space, he said that’s what he wanted,” Lance reminded him, voice a little terse as he shrugged his shoulders and started down the path again, stopping a few steps in when he realized no one was following him. He turned on his heel with a sigh, human ears fading and wolf ears popping up on his head in his annoyance. Lance had never been subtle.

“Okay, but he didn’t actually say that, he just started spending a lot of time in his room and we didn’t really go see him,” Hunk explained, voice soft and far away as he remembered them watching Keith go to his room or the gardens or the woods alone, never following, never sitting with him. They thought Keith had always been alone before they got assigned to work together. But Hunk thought he knew better now and it makes his voice shake a little at his next words. “And then … he started spending a lot of time as a wolf, and we didn’t go see him as a wolf.”

Lance and Pidge both glance at each other, both frowning a little. Pidge shook her head, lips pressed into a thin line as she stared up at Hunk. “He always wanted space every time something else bad happened, how were we supposed to know?”

“I’m not blaming us!” Hunk said back to her, holding up his hands pleadingly. He wasn’t, not really. They were all just 18. There was no way for the three of them to know and probably no way for Keith, shy and withdrawn as he was, to communicate it effectively with how tenuous their pack bond had been. Or how tenuous they thought, anyway, since they’d all felt … adrift since Keith disappeared. “I just wish things had gone … differently. Better.”

“You all did what you thought was right, that’s all anyone could expect,” Shiro told them, smile warm as he put one hand on Pidge’s shoulder and the other on Hunk’s, glancing between the three of them. Then his expression changed into something more rueful as he looked up at the sky, as though expecting judgment to literally come raining down on him. “Besides, I’m the one who couldn’t find him.”

“Hey, you don’t get to blame yourself either,” Pidge muttered as she punched Shiro on the shoulder, earning a sharp laugh from their Alpha, even as his expression was still marred with guilt. “You wouldn’t have blamed Matt if I’d cut and run.”

“No, but I’ve known Keith since he was 13 and I’m the one who kept pushing him,” Shiro murmured, shaking his head a little, gaze growing sadder as he let go of them. Hunk didn’t know the story between Shiro and Keith, not beyond that Keith was an orphan who Shiro had taken under his wing during their first few years at the Garrison together. Keith looked up to Shiro, practically worshipped him, and it hadn’t been a surprise to anyone when Keith felt lost after Shiro left. Maybe it shouldn’t have been a surprise he went.

“Stop blaming yourself, we’ll … eventually we’ll find Keith and we’ll all yell at him for running away,” Lance said suddenly, voice surprisingly confident as he started down the path again. This time they all follow, because that’s a path they can all go down. Hunk knew, needed to believe, they would find Keith and he would be okay.

* * *

  They reach the house, a small and unassuming two-story cabin on the outside; covered in vines to make it look like it was abandoned. On the inside it’s warm and cozy and filled to the brim with computers. Hunk’s eyes light up as he takes in one corner of the room, filled with mechanical tools and parts for him. Allura was way too thoughtful.

“Okay, sad times are over, enjoying our awesome party house time starts now,” Lance said as he walked to the other side of the room from where Hunk was looking, somersaulting over the couch arm to land on the cushions below as he stared “Look at that TV! It’s bigger than Pidge!”

“Most things are,” Shiro murmured with an innocent smile that didn’t match his teasing gaze. Pidge let out a loud huff, gently elbowing Shiro in the chest. He let out a small snort before rubbing the place she hit, letting out a mock groan of pain. Pidge gave him the finger as she marched up the staircase to look at the bedrooms. Hunk decided to explore the room next to the living, turning the corner and finding himself in a yellow heaven of whisks and stove tops.

“Forget the TV look at this beautiful, beautiful kitchen,” Hunk called, eye growing wide as he already imagined the gourmet meals he’d make in here. He’d win so many contests with this much cooking space. He’d gotten second in last year’s new recipes contest, and that had been from the shitty kitchen at the Garrison’s. Lance looked around the room and shrugged, walking to the other side and toward living room without so much as a word. “None of you can appreciate these state of the art tools. It’s tragic.”

“You’re just a snob,” Lance called back from the other room, where he was probably staring at the TV again. Hunk could admit it was going to be great for video games, but it was nowhere near as cool as his kitchen.

“It doesn’t look half bad,” Shiro called as he entered the room, apparently having overheard the conversation. Shiro glanced around the room thoughtfully, gaze stopping on the multiple stovetops. “Maybe I’ll –“

“No,” Hunk shouted at the same time Lance came back into the room to vehemently shake his head and move between Shiro and the stove. He might not care about Hunk’s kitchen, but he’d protect it with his life and that was what mattered to Hunk. “We all remember the cupcake incident of 2050.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Shiro muttered, even as images of charred dough danced behind Hunk’s eyes. Shiro seemed to remember, wincing a little before giving them a small nod of defeat. “Fine, fine, I won’t go in the kitchen if you two agree to share one of the three bedrooms.”

“Please, like me and my man Hunk here weren’t going to be the most badass roommates in the first place,” Lance answered back, holding out his hand. Hunk grinned, dutifully fist bumping Lance back as they both shared a smile. They’d been planning on being roommates when they got out of the Garrison, which insisted on single rooms in case pack members had to be switched, for years. “Besides, weres like to stick together, so I don’t see how we’re not getting the better end of the deal here.”

“Fair enough,” Shiro answered with chortle, though there was something bordering on bitter as his gaze grew distant. Hunk wondered if he and Keith had the same plan, once upon a time. The thought made Hunk’s stomach turn, and he quickly went out the door on the other side of the patio, finding himself in front of a crystalline blue lake leading up to a stone cave that was just a little too close to the lake and perfectly shaped not to be fairy made. Hunk appreciates the gesture either way. There was a fire pit on the other side of the lake, and beyond that was the woods.

“Hey Lance, there’s a giant backyard,” Hunk called, not able to keep the excitement out of his voice as he took the sight in, a part of him wanting to running off into the woods now, ears shifting into their wolf form of their own accord. He didn’t mind, he spent most of his time in this in between form back at the Garrison and it felt more natural than being fully wolf or fully human.

Lance seemed to agree, ears and tail still out from where they popped up on his walk here as he came outside. Lance let out a low whistle, glancing around the woods with a loving gaze just like when he saw the TV. “Wow, this is nice. Is that our very own cave?”

“Perfect for the big moon days,” Hunk answered, smiling softly at how thoughtful Allura and Coran were. Protecting Altea looked like it was going to be a real pleasure. “And this lake? It almost makes you get why some weres spend most of their time as wolves.”

“Almost,” Lance agreed, cocking his head a little and frowning. Hunk was about to say that he didn’t really mean it – he had more human hobbies than Lance when he saw what Lance saw. A small, too skinny wolf with thick black fur stared at them from the woods. “Hunk?”

“Yeah, there’s a wolf there,” Hunk agreed with a slow nod, and then catching Lance’s eye shook his head. Not a wolf. A werewolf. The eyes were just a the wrong shape, the same way Lance’s and Pidge’s and Shiro’s and his own were, the expression too mournful and human. It made Hunk’s heart hurt. “Hey wolf guy, we’re werewolves too. You don’t need to be scared.”

“Is he scared or angry?” Lance asked cautiously as the wolf started to growl, backing up on its heels as they started to walk toward the were. Up close, the thinness and the lack of sheen in their coat was more apparent and Hunk winced in sympathy. Lance held up his hands in a placating gesture as it snarled weakly at them.

“I mean, I think both?” Hunk through out as he glanced back at Lance with a small shrug, turning to find the black wolf running at a breakneck speed Hunk wasn’t capable of now, let alone when he looked as sick as that wolf had. That kind of speed was familiar. “Actually he’s running away now, so I think more the first.”

“Should we go after him?” Lance asked as he watched the wolf go, frowning and muscles tightening a little as though preparing for a shift. Hunk grabbed his arm though, shaking his head. That were had been spooked, and following them would probably only end in someone getting hurt.

“We should talk to Shiro and Allura,” Hunk suggested instead, turning back toward the door with a determined look on his face. Hunk couldn’t place how yet, but he knew that wolf and they needed to help them. Shiro caught his face, black ears flattening against his head and tail going stiff. Something in his gaze though, as they talked about the wolf, made Hunk feel strangely hopeful. Something was about to change.

 

* * *

“So we saw a wolf in the woods, I’m guessing that was the fifth you were asking about?” Shiro said without preamble as they met Allura in the courtyard again, not bothering to hide their slightly wolfish features. Things were too tense for that. Allura raised an eyebrow at them for a moment, but then shrugged it off. She was smart; Hunk knew that from studying their possible bosses. If someone saw them, she’d come up with an easy excuse or cast a shield around the path with magic. Maybe she already had.

“Yes, but when you said there were only four, we assumed it was a normal wolf rather than a were,” Coran explained with a light laugh, shaking his head a little as though this wolf actually being a werewolf was more amusing than worrying. But then Coran was a fairy, and he couldn’t know just how strange a werewolf without a pack was. But Hunk did and the words still made him wince a little, that they hadn’t gone and helped that wolf even sooner. “They seemed rather human at times, but we decided it was coincidence.”

“Yeah, having seen him up close, pretty sure it wasn’t,” Lance explained with a small shrug, trying to match Coran’s easy grin with one of his own, even though Hunk can sense the unease in his gaze. “We can sense those kinds of things, and he was definitely a were.”

“You’re positive?” Allura asked, voice slightly clipped as she glanced over at them, gaze thoughtful and with a tinge of guilt. Hunk could relate, but she couldn’t blame herself. Fairies had no way of sensing werewolves, and it was hard to tell if someone didn’t know the signs. Most people would’ve assumed it was just a smarter than average wolf.

“Yeah and besides, something about him seemed … familiar,” Hunk answered, letting some of the worry slip into his voice. Lance gave a small nod, catching Hunk’s eye and nodding. “It was dark and he ran pretty fast, but I feel like I’d met him before.”

Next to them, Shiro raised an eyebrow, his metal arm twitching slightly. That look that gave Hunk a strange feeling of hope came back into Shiro’s eyes. “Familiar?”

“We’re you not there?” Allura asked, crossing her arms a little as she raised an eyebrow, though her expression was more curious than anything else as leaned toward Shiro. Her hair, worn in loose curls today, brushed against his arm and Hunk’s own as she did.

“Pidge and I were still inside,” Shiro answered with a small shrug, glancing at Pidge who nodded to confirm, face blank. Then Shiro’s grew more serious as he took Allura by the hand, gaze soft and worried. “We’d like to make contact though. A were living alone isn’t healthy or safe, and we could use a fifth team member.”

Hunk winced a little at that, pressing his hands against each other as he remembered the state of that were. It would be a little bit before he could be of much use on a mission, from the looks of him, and who knew what kind of training he had. “Or a friend.”

“Of course, you have my full support,” Allura answered as she took a step back, giving them another one of her beatific smiles as she gestured toward the woods. “We and local hikers have mostly seen him by the hills in the middle of the woods. We believe he’s sleeping in the caves there.”

“Thank you, princess,” Shiro answered, voice tinged with relief as he took a low bow, following the line of her hand.

“Allura,” She said, voice warm and surprisingly soft as she caught Shiro’s eye. Shiro nodded, short and small, before leading them down the path. It would be quicker as wolves, but for some reason none of them shifted from their in between forms. It felt like this wolf needed to be greeted with something a little more human looking.

* * *

  He froze, halfway through the back cavern wall when he heard the voices. Voices he knew too well and that had rejected him before. He couldn’t let them see that he was alone again and growing weaker by the day. Not when he would have to deal with their looks of pity, the reminder that he wasn’t wanted, wasn’t good enough for a pack yet again. No, he’d stay here until they left.

“Hey there wolf, you don’t need to be scared,” Hunk’s voice called out as he came closer to the cave wall, soft and warm like it had been at the Garrison. The memory made Keith whimper a little, the noise coming out more pitifully than he would have liked. He needed to growl. He curled up more behind the wall, trying to regain his strength. “Like we said yesterday, we’re weres too. We just want to make sure you’re okay.”

“Yeah, we’re a team of heroes!” Lance called out, and he let out a small growl that was really closer to a snort. Leave it to Lance to make them – but not them, he wasn’t apart of them – sound cooler than they were. He wanted to go out and playfully nip him and curl up by Hunk, but he knew they wouldn’t want him. Not then, not now. “Voltron!”

“We didn’t agree to that name,” Pidge muttered, and He remembered her argument that it didn’t even stand for anything. He objected mostly because he didn’t get the cheer. He wondered if he would have by now, if things had turned out differently. He let out another small whine backing away toward the other side of the cavern.

“Hey, hey, don’t run, we just want to help,” Hunk called, voice painfully gentle. Apparently Hunk heard his claws scurrying across the cave floor. And then before he could run any further, the four of them came around the corner and froze as they took him in. He couldn’t tell if they recognized him, much thinner and fur in worse shape than a few months ago. Living alone in a cave fighting attackers everyday with limited food sources did that.

Shiro though came a step closer. Shiro, who was alive and fine and looked stronger than ever. He couldn’t stop himself from moving closer, from letting out a small whine as Shiro’s hands reach his fur. He licks his metal arm, staring up at him with tears pooling in his eyes. Shiro hugged him then and he let out another small whine and ignored the pained gasps in the background. “Oh, buddy, What are you doing?”

He whined again, and then making a decision he already thought he would regret. He ran across to the other side of the cavern, letting out a small whine that turned into an actual cry of pain as his body shifted to human, bones cracking and morphing and fur fading back into skin. It was more painful than usual, but then he hadn’t been human in over a month. Maybe his body had forgotten how. He touched his ears, still black and furry and on the top of his head, tail swishing behind him. He’d only managed his in between form.

He pulled on an old, dirty sweatshirt that was starting to fade from red to a sort of pink from the sun and black basketball shorts. It wasn’t a great look, but it was what he had. He walked out, smiling crookedly and with an expression he imagined looked more like a grimace. He hadn’t made human expressions in awhile and it wasn’t like he’d been great at it before. For a moment they all just stared at him, expressions blank, like he was a ghost.

Then Shiro pulls him into a hug and he buried himself against his chest. He just didn’t expect Hunk to quickly wrap his strong arms around the other side of him, pressing his face up against his own. A second later lance joins in on the other side of Hunk, and Pidge squeezes in between Lance and Shiro. It’s an awkward group hug with him at the center, which didn’t make sense because he wasn’t good enough for their pack, wasn’t wanted and – the sad, confused tone of Hunk’s voice pulled Keith away from his thoughts. “Keith?!”

“Hi guys,” Keith murmured, voice rough from disuse as he let himself melt into the hug. He’d worry about why they changed their minds or if they really did later. Right now he was back with the pack he wanted to be a part of and Shiro was alive. That was all that mattered. The answers could come later.


	2. Man

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Quick note: I'm trying to get as much fic done and published as I can before the Season 3 premiere, so these chapters will go up unbeta'd. After I finish the three fic I want to get done, I promise I'll come back and clean things up!

Eventually the hug broke apart, the other staring at him in a mixture of confusion, hurt, and relief. Keith realized he was going to have give them some answers. Or be told to get packing, one or the other. Keith wasn’t sure which would be worse. He knew how to keep moving if nothing else. It’ was all he’d been doing since he was 9, after all. Keith was pulled out of his thoughts as Shiro laid a hand on his shoulder, gaze painfully gentle as Keith’s eyes met his own. “Keith?”

“Yeah,” Keith confirmed with a small nod, ears bristling slightly. They didn’t need confirmation it was him. He glanced over at Hunk out of the corner of his eye, the other boy giving him a warm, encouraging smile and gesturing for him to keep talking. Keith smiled back, crooked and a little awkward, face still feeling wrong and like staying a wolf for so long had stolen all the elasticity. “I’ve been living here.”

“Yeah, that was pretty obvious,” Lance called out, rolling his eyes but following it up with a fond smile, as though to make sure he knew Keith wasn’t mad at him. Which made no sense, when they all had every reason to be and Lance loved being mad at Keith for no reason. Now that he had one he was going to be nice? Lance took a step forward, gaze narrowing a little as he glanced down at Keith’s messy hoodie. “Why?”

“Lance!” Shiro shouted, shaking his head a little bit as he pushed the other boy back with one arm. Lance dropped his gaze, ears drooping sheepishly. “We can talk about that later.”

Keith nodded back, relief rushing through him at the words. They weren’t sending him away at least. Keith had made himself a nice home in the cave, he had a blanket and he wasn’t too far from the river. The others were stating at him, gazes growing more pointed as they all moved in on him, Pidge looking like she might cry. He didn’t look _that_ bad. “Well … You guys probably have things to do…”

“Keith? We’re not letting you stay alone in a cave,” Hunk told him slowly, scrunching his eyebrows together and frowning tightly, as though he were offended at the suggestion. Keith bristled, pulling his shoulders together as Hunk gave him a once over. His gaze grew a little more worried as took in Keith’s frame. “Plus, you look awful.”

“Thanks Hunk,” Keith muttered with a scoff, glaring at them slightly. He waited for them to realize he wasn’t going with, but then he felt himself being lifted from the ground, Shiro’s metal arm wrapped firmly around his waist as he threw him over his shoulder like he was Pidge. Maybe Keith was in worse shape than he thought.

Shiro carried him the entire way down the mountain, Keith not bothering to fight back. Keith didn’t want the embarrassment of losing and he was pretty sure if he turned back into a wolf that everyone would just be more upset again. He might as well get a free meal out of it. He nudged Shiro’s shoulder gently and Shiro sat him down next to him, letting Keith walk the way back. Though Keith noticed the way Shiro and Hunk hovered near one of each of his shoulders, as though they expected him to run away. Keith didn’t understand.

“So, this is the house,” Pidge said in a small voice, giving him a wry smile over her shoulder as they arrived in front of a stone and brick two story house, small and inconspicuous. Keith glanced back at her, nodding softly, ears flicking a bit because he didn’t get why they brought him here. “We should probably have dinner. Got any requests Keith?”

“I’ve mostly been eating squirrels,” Keith answered with a shrug, tail swishing behind him as followed them through the door. It was small and cozy, filled with furniture that was just a little too big for the rooms. Keith felt closed in, and he instinctively pulled between Shiro and Hunk just a little bit more.

“Very funny Keith,” Lance murmured with a small scoff as he turned on a heel to face him. His grin was bright, gaze soft but with some of the teasing of their earlier rivalry turned friendship (or Keith hoped it had been. He’d hate to regret losing nothing). Lance’s grin dropped into something more disgusted as Keith stared back at him blankly. “You’re not joking are you?”

Hunk shook his head, suddenly rolling up his sleeves as he glanced over at the kitchen with determined eyes. He crossed the room with speed that Keith didn’t even realize Hunk had (but then he hadn’t been there the past two months, Who knew what changed). He started heating up the stovetop and glanced back at Keith with a pained smile. “You just broke my heart.”

“They weren’t that hard to catch,” Keith answered with a small huff, glaring softly at Hunk even as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. Now that he wasn’t a wolf, how tired and anxious Keith was, how lonely, was pushing to the surface with an awareness he didn’t appreciate. Hunk let out a small laugh; one Keith couldn’t join in with, not yet.

“You know you’re not actually a wolf, right?” Lance said suddenly, poking Keith on the shoulder and rolling his eyes a little. And yeah, Keith wasn’t, if he didn’t notice Lance coming up on him on like that. Now he wasn’t even good at being a wolf. Great. Lance’s gaze softened as Keith’s own dropped to the floor, arms crossing a little more tightly. Keith glanced up to find Lance smiling softly at him. “Hey, you’re not.”

“No, you’re a were who is about to have my best burgers,” Hunk called over as he appeared with a plateful of them, and Keith wondered how long he’d spaced out. Lance grabbed his arm and walked him to the table, like he thought Keith might pass out before he got there. Jesus.

“Thanks,” Keith muttered as he sat down next to Shiro, picking idly at the burger placed in front of him. It was good, rich and flavorful like everything Hunk made, but it was also more flavor than Keith had in two months. He smiled over at Hunk, weakly, trying to make that clear with his gaze. Hunk mostly looked more concerned, eyebrows sloping downward. At least Keith could stop feeling guilty after the meal when he got back to his cave. “So when we’re done eating …”

“I need a roommate,” Shiro finished for him, smile gentle as he suddenly leaned over and ruffled Keith’s hair. Then he went back to his own burger, as though the answer had been obvious. Keith stilled, because why would they want him back after they rejected him? After Keith rejected all of them except Shiro? Keith glanced around the room, from Pidge’s gentle half smile to Lance’s playful grin to Hunk’s warm gaze. No one looked like they wanted him gone.

“Okay,” Keith agreed in a soft voice as he nodded, too tired to resist the gentle warmth they were offering. Even if it was only until he got better (not that Keith was as bad off as they were all acting). That could be enough.

* * *

Hunk almost wondered if yesterday was a dream, gazing out at the woods in the warm morning air. Then Keith appeared next to him, an oversized white T-shirt (Shiro’s) paired with his shorts. Keith nodded at him, expression blank as he came to stand next to Hunk. Hunk frowned at the tiredness in his gaze, the gaunt face. Keith needed help. And Hunk was nothing if not someone great at helping his friends and packmates. “What do you want for breakfast?”

“I …” Keith began in a soft voice, biting his lip as he looked up at Hunk with wide, confused eyes. The gaze wasn’t anything new, Keith having always been a little lost in social situations. It was cute. But he didn’t used to get lost over breakfast. “Scrambled eggs?”

“Sure thing,” Hunk answered, patting him on the back, his own tail swishing nervously as he walked past his friend. Keith followed him into the kitchen, sitting on one of the counter, long legs dangling a few feet above the floor. Hunk didn’t have the heart to tell him to get off. Not yet anyway. He stared over at Keith as he cut the vegetables, frowning slightly as the other boy stared at the wall across from them. He still didn’t know why Keith had left in the first place, and he felt like they all deserved to. “Keith, can I ask you something?”

“Sure,” Keith answered, voice muted as he turned his gaze to Hunk, though Hunk could see the hint of nervousness in gaze at the question. Keith glared a little, one hand gripping the edge of the counter, like he was ready to launch himself across the room depending on what Hunk asked.

“Why … why were you living alone in a cave? And as a wolf _all_ the time?” Hunk spat out, forgoing being subtle after building up the courage to ask. It was unhealthy for a were to live full time as a wolf, caused weight loss and affected moods and usually left them in something of a fugue state for the first few days or even weeks after a long period as a wolf full time.

Just like Keith right now. Hunk knew Keith liked being a wolf more than the average were, but even he hadn’t spent more than a few hours everyday at the Garrison in that form. Not months. Keith glanced at him; shrugging slightly as he bit his lip again, gaze confused and almost a little hurt, as though Hunk should already know the answer. “I didn’t have anywhere to go after the Garrison kicked me out, and I ended up here.”

“Right,” Hunk muttered with a small nod, smile a little sad as Keith said he had nowhere to go. He guessed their pack really didn’t mean much to Keith after Shiro left. Except that only answered half of Hunk’s question, he realized, narrowing his gaze at Keith as he poured his eggs onto a plate. “Wait, why here?”

“I don’t know, it just felt like the woods were calling to me,” Keith admitted with a small sigh as he took the plate of eggs. He moved them around on his plate a little, lips pressing a thin line. He took a bite of his eggs a second later, and Lance hoped they went down better than the hamburger last night. He had no idea what a diet of squirrel and rabbits did to someone after two months.

Hunk scrunched his eyebrows a little, trying to make sense of Keith’s answer. Nope. Still didn’t make any sense. “Calling to you?”

“Yeah, my I followed my instincts and they brought me here,” Keith said without looking back at Hunk, taking another bite of his eggs. He said it so matter of factly, like the fact that his instincts had brought him somewhere Hunk didn’t think Keith had ever been before made sense. But then, they werewolves were eating scrambled eggs in the middle of a 1970s style kitchen, so maybe Keith’s instincts could do that.

“Or, maybe like magic,” Hunk threw out as he took a bite of his own scrambled eggs, nodding decisively as he’d stumbled on a logical answer. The forest was full of it from Allura and Coran, and wolves were drawn to it when it could help them find their way. And God knew they all needed the help.

Keith though, set his plate of eggs aside, crossing his arms a little more tightly as he stared over at Hunk like he’d just said something ridiculous. “Magic?”

“You know, the magic in the woods knew the woods needing protecting and that we’d be here,” Hunk said with a bright grin, even as Keith’s gaze only grew tighter with every word. That didn’t always mean something bad though. It was hard to tell with Keith. “And magic wanted you with us again.”

“Yeah, think magic knows I’m a little too selfish for that,” Keith finally murmured, voice tinged with bitterness as he tore his eyes away from Hunk to stare at his plate of eggs. Hunk frowned, gaze growing sad as he watched Keith move them around the plate without taking a bite. He … Hunk didn’t know how to make this better, bot with that haunted look in Keith’s gaze. But he had to try.

“I wouldn’t say you’re selfish,” Hunk told him with a warm smile as he took a step toward Keith; gaze gentle as he patted him on the shoulder. He let his hand linger there as Keith stared back at him, bangs falling across his face and gaze just as lost as when Shiro left. Hunk didn’t know what Keith was looking for when he left them all, but he didn’t look like he’d found it. “Look, you maybe … withdrew too much, but hey, we’re all young and people grow and change.”

Keith smiled then, but it was empty, gaze filled with shame and bitterness. Keith pushed his hand away with a surprising gentleness; sliding off the counter and gripping the plate so tightly Hunk expected it to shatter in his grip. “I’m not a person.”

Hunk left Keith to wash the dishes alone and spent the rest of the day trying to get the hollow sound of his voice out of his head.

* * *

It was a few days later when Keith managed to convince Shiro to train with him, mostly by sitting on his bed and pouting at him. Shiro had stared back with relief, which confused Keith more than anything else, because Shiro used to call him a brat when he made that expression, and Keith’s immaturity shouldn’t really be a selling point for Shiro right now. Not when it made him fail at the one thing Shiro asked him to do. But it had worked, and Keith wasn’t about to start complaining when he finally got back outside. “C’mon Shiro, I know you can go harder than that,”

“Yeah, I can, but you can’t right now,” Shiro answered, voice lazy as he dodged another of Keith’s kicks by jumping backwards. Keith glared at him, because Shiro treating him like a child could annoy him. Keith was a trained warrior, even if he was malnourished and physically weak from too much time as a wolf. It didn’t mean he couldn’t handle himself.

“Shiro, I’m fine,” Keith snapped as he lunged at him. That was when Hunk came outside in a sleeveless shirt, thick arms glistening in the afternoon sun. Keith loved Hunk’s arms, well-muscled and firm so Keith knew Hunk could crush him with ease if he wanted, yet with enough softness that they were the best arms to sink into for hugs (this Keith knew from experience). And they were just there, bare and in front of him and it wasn’t even hot enough for that -

And Keith suddenly finds himself losing his footing, running stomach first into Shiro’s outstretched arm. Stupid tall Shiro. Keith nearly fell to the ground, only to find himself carefully lifted and righted by Shiro. Keith glared up at him, huffing as he took a step back. He wished his recovery were going just a little faster, even if it meant he’d be back in the cave. “Really?”

“I was distracted,” Keith whispered, gaze subconsciously going back to Hunk’s arms. Shiro followed it for a second and then snickered, loud and aggressive even as he covered his mouth with his hand. Keith glared at him softly; a small part of him wondering if this was Shiro’s revenge for Keith failing to take over as leader of the pack. It was a cruel one if it was.

“Sorry,” Hunk called, and Keith swung his gaze back to the other boy. Hunk gave him a warm smile; gaze playful and a little sheepish as he seemed to realize he was the distraction. Keith only prayed that he didn’t realize why he was one, because Keith had enough rejection coming his way. “But hey, Shiro would have knocked me out like twice as fast.”

“What? No he couldn’t. You could beat me in a fight. I’m fast but you’re strong. And big, and even stronger as a wolf. But even as a person you could probably pin me with one hand …” Keith trailed off, flushing slightly as his own words rang back at him, just a little too eager and admiring for his own good. Where was his asshole demeanor when he needed it? Next to him Shiro broke into a new fit of laughter, shoulders shaking as he patted Keith on the shoulder.

“Wow, but you’re both right,” Shiro said as his laughter faded away, though there was still an amused twinkle in his gaze as he patted Keith’s shoulder. Hunk blinked owlishly, staring at them in confusion. Keith bit back a sigh of relief that Hunk hadn’t connected the dots yet. Somehow. “And honestly this was a test.”

Keith frowned at that, not liking the sound of it. He’d been the one begging Shiro to train, not the other way around. “A test?”

“To see if you’re healthy enough for fight training,” Shiro answered, smile growing a little softer as he stared at Keith. His gaze was serious and almost apologetic as he gripped his shoulder. Somehow Keith didn’t think the answer was going to be that Keith was already back to being as badass as he was at the Garrison two and a half months ago. “And you’re not. Not until you gain a little weight back, anyway.”

“Shiro!” Keith snapped, heat rushing back to his face as he glared softly at the other boy. That made Keith flush, crossing his arms and wincing when it made Shiro’s sweaters puff out around him. That meant nothing; Shiro was like twice his size on a good day. The fact that Lance’s pants sagged at his hips wasn’t though. Still, Shiro could’ve waited until Hunk, who watched them with worried eyes and a thoughtful frown, was back inside.

 

* * *

Day 1

Hunk devised a plan to get to the bottom of why Keith had suddenly quit their pack to become a hermit in the woods and to help Keith gain back the weight he’d lost, called making Keith help him with brunch everyday. He’d thrown it out after Shiro had banned Keith from the training room, smiling brightly and pointing out Keith might as well keep himself busy with a friend. God knows no one got bored faster than Keith. “So, why you’d end up in the woods?”

“I told you,” Keith answered, blinking as he glanced up at Hunk from where he was methodically cutting onions. He frowned a little, cocking his head when Hunk still stared at him with a curious gaze.

“You told me how,” Hunk corrected him in a gentle voice as he handed him a tomato. Keith looked at it admiringly before setting it on the counter, gaze soft as he picked up his knife again. He gave it the same fond look he gave the tomato, and Hunk has to bite back a laugh. Right now he has more serious questions. “But why didn’t you go to the Shirogane’s?”

“They wouldn’t want me there without Shiro,” Keith answered, voice empty save a hint of bitterness as he started to slice the tomato methodically. Hunk frowned, gaze softening as he watched the other boy. Come to think of it, he’d never heard Keith call the Shirogane’s his parents or that they he even lived with Shiro and his family full-time. He might not have felt like they’d want him to come back without Shiro, and even if Keith was wrong about that, it had to hurt.

“Right,” Hunk said in a small voice, turning back to the batter he was stirring. That still didn’t answer why Keith ignored all of their calls and texts to live by himself in the woods. The Shirogane’s might not have been much of a family to Keith, but Hunk kind of thought they were starting to be one. “I guess there weren’t that many options.”

“Nope,” Keith answered, voice tight as he roughly handed Hunk the tomato chunks. If Hunk didn’t know better, he’d think Keith almost seemed wounded as he walked out of the kitchen.

Day 6

“You were in the gardening club,” Hunk tried instead, figuring maybe moving in from lighter topics might be the way to go. No reason they had to jump right into Keith abandoning them for an empty cave and a blanket it looked like he stole from the Garrison.

“Huh?” Keith glanced up from where he’s mixing the cookie dough, eyes wide and head cocked. He bit his lip a little, and Hunk couldn’t help smiling softly at the other boy. It was easier to forget how cute Keith was underneath all the heavy emotions, but damn, he was _really_ cute and Hunk was in trouble.

“At the Garrison, Shiro mentioned it to us, after he got back,” Hunk explained with a grin, tossing his whisk between his hands as Keith watched appreciatively. Keith had been the one who worked with him on his balance and agility the most back at the Garrison, before Shiro disappeared. They used to spend hours on the field, Keith doing his best to encourage him and try to show him how to dodge. Hunk smiled softly, glancing over at the smaller, messier Keith in front of him and wondered how they got here.

“Oh yeah, I like nature, it’s quiet,” Keith said with a soft, shy smile, the one that made Hunk’s heart do flip-flops in his chest. Yeah, he probably wasn’t going to get to asking Keith about why he left today. Not when he was looking at Hunk like that, cheeks just a little less gaunt than when he first got here. Keith didn’t seem to notice his staring, smile growing wider as he kept talking. “And gardens are nice. Keeps your hands busy, and you make something.”

“Yeah, you know we could have a garden back here,” Hunk told him after a beat, shaking off his crush to give Keith a small smile. Keith glanced back at him, eyebrows sloping a bit, though Hunk could see a hint of hope in his gaze too. “I’m not great at it, but Lance and I could hang out and we could all talk while you gardened. Or sit there in silence, whatever you want.”

Keith still looked confused, biting his lip a little as he went back to stirring his batter. He took a deep breath and glanced at Hunk out of the corner of his eye, smile wary but there. “Thanks Hunk.”

Day 9

“You guys shouldn’t be so nice to me,” Keith said out of nowhere one day, looking resolutely at the peppers he was slicing and not at Hunk. Hunk nearly drops the bowl of broth he was carrying, managing to set it aside before it hit the floor. His agility really had gotten a lot better over the past 8 months. He’d have to thank Keith and Shiro for that later when he wasn’t so lost.

“What?” Hunk asked in a soft voice, laying one hand against Keith’s back until the other boy stopped slicing the peppers, sliding the knife to the table with a grunt. Hunk knew knives were something of a comfort for Keith, the other boy having been left one by his mom, but Hunk really needed to have this conversation without one, because he was very anxious.

“I mean, I’m not in your pack anymore,” Keith muttered, voice tight as he turned on his heel to face Hunk. Hunk winced, gaze growing pained at the reminder that Keith had left them, even if they all still feel bonded to him. Keith’s expression confused him though. Keith’s gaze is overflowing with regret and shame, the other boy almost shaking as he got out his next few words. “And I know it’s my fault.”

“How,” Hunk asked, not able to keep his confusion, his fear out of his voice as Keith looked up at him with lost eyes. His other hand found it’s way to Keith’s shoulder blades, thumb gently rubbing circles against the edge of Keith’s neck.

“I was selfish, I only thought about how I was feeling after Shiro left, I stopped being a team player,” Keith spat out, the anger and shame growing with each word, so hot that Hunk was shocked Keith hadn’t burned himself from the inside out yet. The guilt was weighing Keith down so heavily, and everything he said was true sure, but it wasn’t that simple, either. Keith had been _grieving_. “And then I got thrown out.”

“Yeah, but we were all pretty cool with you biting Iverson,” Hunk said with a small grin as he squeezed Keith’s shoulder gently. Keith let out a small laugh, rough and pained as he stared back at Hunk.

“I’m sure, but I … I get why none of you tried to contact me afterwards. I wouldn’t want me back either,” Keith muttered, crossing his arms within Hunk’s grip, gaze dropping to the kitchen tiles below them. His entire body radiated with guilt and confusion. Guilt, Hunk guessed for leaving in the first place, confusion because they were being so nice to Keith after months of ignoring his every message and making it clear that when he left he was out.

Except that wasn’t true. They’d messaged Keith, tried calling him and emailing him everyday for a month after he disappeared. Keith was the one who never answered them. Except, looking at Keith shaking in his kitchen, gaze filled with guilt and a pained sorrow that Hunk knew Keith couldn’t fake, Hunk had the feeling they’d all been screwed over. “Keith. That’s not what happened. We texted you and emailed you every day for weeks and you never answered.”

“I never got one,” Keith said, voice shaking a little as he stared at Hunk, gaze slowly shifting to confusion and a slow relief as he realized what Hunk’s words meant at the same time Hunk did. The pack bond had never actually been broken at all. Keith was still theirs.

“Yeah, I was pretty sure you’d say that,” Hunk murmured as he squeezed Keith’s shoulder, his own gaze slowly clouding with rage as the pieces started to come together. There was only one person at the Garrison who hated their pack, after all. “Fucking Iverson.”


	3. Papa

Keith woke up to the feel of his bed bouncing the familiar sea salt and soap smell of Lance filling the air. Keith opened his eyes, blinking hurriedly as he caught sight of the other boy, brown jacket on and wolf ears gone. Lance grinned over at him, poking Keith’s own ears and then pointing at his own human ones with a wry grin. Keith cocked his head and gave him a blank look, earning a small sigh from Lance. “Get in loser, we’re going shopping!”

“What?” Keith asked in confusion, crossing his arms a little. Because yeah, that didn’t help tell him why Lance was sitting on his bed and poking his ears. All it told him was that Lance was back to using his grad school insults, which Keith had to admit he’d missed. They were silly sure, but they made Keith feel more like a person and less like a wolf.

“Keith, you should know that reference,” Lance answered with a small groan, shaking his head a little as he hopped off the bed. Keith shrugged a little, mouth in a half smile as he slid off his bed, because he never got any of Lance’s references. He caught his red hoodie as Lance tossed it at his head, waving over at him. “But now that you can make your ears less wolfy, we’re buying you new clothes.”

“Oh, I – thanks,” Keith murmurs as he pulls the hoodie on, glancing down at the bed. He hadn’t expected that, but even Keith could admit he needed them. His clothes were falling apart and none of Shiro’s or Lance’s fit him right. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, ears slowly sliding down and reshaping, tail shrinking until it was completely gone. When he opened his eyes, Lance’s gaze was almost proud of him.

“Yeah, we figured you were probably sick of that hoodies and wearing mine or Shiro’s hand-me-downs,” Lance laughed as he gestured for Keith to follow him down the staircase.

Keith shrugged, smile shy as he glanced over at Lance. He was surprised he’d caught on, but maybe that was part of being a pack. Or almost a pack. “A little bit.”

“Hunk here’s coming with us to help steer you away from cropped jackets,” Lance explained as they get to the bottom of the staircase, Hunk smiling warmly as he saw Keith. Keith grinned back nervously before shooting Lance a quick glare, because his cropped jacket had been awesome and Keith was still mad he’d left it at the Garrison when he got kicked out. Keith could never replace it.

“To help make sure it’s a good time,” Hunk corrected, cocking his head at Keith, a small twinkle in his eye as he threw an arm around Keith’s shoulder. Keith smiles up at him, expression soft as he leans into Hunk’s touch a little. The rest of the walk from the woods to town is mostly done in silence, Lance and Hunk occasionally speaking up to tell him about a store they like or a coffee shop they want to take him to later.

Eventually they found their way to a clothing store, one that was huge. Keith felt overwhelmed from the moment he walked inside the door. Hunk smiled softly at him and led him to a bench near the changing rooms. Lance, meanwhile, grabbed more sweaters and hoodies and T-shirts than Keith could count, examining and rejecting or choosing clothes with a careful eye.

Keith would’ve just bought three hoodies like the one he was wearing and called it a day. Maybe that was why he needed Hunk and Lance here.

“Lance, I think that’s enough,” Keith called out when Lance started looking at suits with a twinkling eye, because Keith wasn’t going to be invited to any parties. Lance pouted over at him, though he left the suits behind to come stand in front of Keith and Hunk. Hunk held up a pair of white boots, the only thing he’d grabbed. “These are more clothes than I had back at the Garrison.”

“Yeah, because you’re wardrobe there was tragic,” Lance said, dropping the pile of his clothes onto Keith’s laps and pressing his hands on his hips. Keith rolled his eyes, picking up the clothes and resisting the urge to stick out his tongue or say something snarky. Lance was doing him a favor, one he really didn’t need to, and Keith had no idea how he was going to pay back. Keith could figure out how to hold his tongue for one day.

“I think you looked cute,” Hunk said suddenly, smile bright and gaze surprisingly fond as he mused on Keith’s old wardrobe, holding up the boots pointedly. “Like a Pokémon trainer,”

Keith chuckled a little at that, shaking his head as he tried to grab his boots with the rest of the clothes. Keith walked over to the dressing room and dropped his clothes on the bench, which they overflowed pretty quickly. Keith pulled off his hoodie and pulled on a thick black sweater that slid off his shoulder a little and blue jeans, sliding on a pair of red slip on shoes Lance had grabbed. Keith slid back out, smiling nervously as he showed them his outfit. “How’s this?”

“Good, good,” Lance said with a nod, smiling as he caught Hunk’s eye. Keith flushed a little, shaking his head before suddenly wincing. Keith blinked owlishly, because he had no idea what was going on between them, except that Hunk maybe didn’t like his sweater. Hunk suddenly gave him the thumbs up and a wide smile though, so Keith decided that wasn’t it. “You look _good_ in sweaters.”

Lance looked at Hunk as he said it, smirking with a mischievous glow in his eye. Hunk shook his head, scrunching his eyebrows together and frowning tightly at Lance. Keith glanced between them, his own eyebrows sloping down as he waited for an answer, but when he didn’t get one, he went back into the dressing room. This time he pulled on a pair of black skinny jeans, a red t-shirt, and black leather jacket that was indeed cropped. Keith smiled crookedly at Lance as he came out of the dressing room, who shrugged back at him.

“I like the leather,” Hunk said in a soft voice, giving Keith a once over that made Keith flush a little. Keith shook his head, trying to push the sudden warm in his cheeks and stomach away. Hunk didn’t mean it like that. Not about someone like Keith.

“Thanks Hunk,” Keith muttered back, glancing down at the ground and hoping his cheeks hid any signs of his flush from a few minutes ago. Keith slid back into the dressing room a second later, pulling on an oxford shirt. It was white and plain and looked a little nerdy on him, like he was back in high school (not that Keith had ever been to a real school).

He walked out, doing a turn around when Lance gestured for him too, frowning as though trying to figure out what was wrong. Keith threw his arms up frustration, sleeves coming over his hands a little as he did, because what he really needed right now was a reminder that he was short.

“Try rolling your sleeves up with this,” Hunk said suddenly, leaning over to gently lift up one of Keith’s arms. His strong fingers delicately roll one sleeve up to mid forearm, his smooth hands brushing against Keith’s arm. Keith flushed; gaze dreamy as he mindlessly lifted his other arm for Hunk to do the same. “There.”

Keith nodded softly; flush not going away as he slowly walked back to the dressing room. He still had a crush on Hunk. And if he was going to stay in the pack. … Well, it might just be time to do something about it. Keith just wasn’t sure what that was.

 

* * *

After they pay for Keith’s clothes with some of the money the Garrison gave them (because really, Iverson should pay for anything Keith wanted from here on out), they stood in front of the door of the clothing store for a few minutes, not sure where to go. Hunk didn’t want to go back yet, not when this was Keith’s first visit back to human society. He needed to get acclimated. Then Hunk saw the sign for an outdoor mall with a food court.

“Lunch,” Hunk declared cheerfully as he gestured for the two of them to follow him, ending up in not too extensive buffet line. 10 minutes later and they all have plates of questionable looking pasta, salad that’s at least acceptable, and glasses of soda with less fizz than Hunk liked. Not the worst meal, but certainly not the best. “Gotta say food courts have gone downhill since we were kids.”

“So have malls,” Keith muttered with an eye roll, his new sweater sliding off his shoulder and revealing the sharp lines of his shoulder blade and clavicle. 

“Like you even went to the mall as a kid, you probably made all your toys with knives,” Lance said with a small scoff, leaning over to poke Keith in the shoulder gently. Keith let out a small exhale, eyebrows sloping down slightly. Hunk didn’t think Lance was wrong here, and that Keith had probably learned that from an article. He bumped Keith with his shoulder and gave him a warm smile. They had plenty of time to show him how awful malls were now.

“Mostly I hung out with the woods,” Keith admitted with a small smile, gaze growing distant as he stared at the wall. It was a wistful look, but a happy one for once. Hunk bit his lip and decided to let Keith have this moment. Getting lost in memories wasn’t such a bad thing, if they were happy ones. But … the woods brought Hunk back to the present, because they were having issues on that front. Issues with giant teeth that kept trying to bite him.

“Right,” Hunk said, giving Keith a quick grin before he scrunched his eyebrows together, shaking his head as he glanced between Lance and Keith. Keith’s expression grew tight and focused, while Lance let out a tired groan. The past month has … been a lot of work. “Speaking of the woods, we need to guard the edges more. We’ve had too many close calls lately.”

“Yeah,” Lance murmured, lifting up his arm where the scars from his last bite mark had yet to fade away completely. Weres had advanced healing factors, but it didn’t mean they were never left with marks. Keith winced at the sight, gaze dropping to the table and his uneaten pasta.

“I’m sorry,” Keith muttered in a low voice, gaze filled with shame as he moved a few pieces of penne around mindlessly. “If I hadn’t made myself such a disaster, I’d be able to help you guys.”

“Hey, you became a disaster trying to protect the woods just like we are,” Hunk reminded him, sliding a hand to his shoulder and squeezing it reassuringly. Keith looked up from his past with a soft smile, though there was still a hint of guilt in his eyes. “Besides, Shiro said you can start training back up this week, right?”

“Yeah, he did,” Keith said, suddenly breaking out into a wider grin, gaze brightening and fangs poking out for a second. Hunk raised an eyebrow and Keith quickly pulled them back in, smile turning sheepish for a moment. Then it faded away completely, Keith’s gaze growing anxious as he pressed his lips into a thin line. Hunk knew that look and it usually meant Keith’s extra strong instincts were signaling danger.

“Hey why’d you go from excited to worried so fast?” Hunk asked, biting his lip as he lifted up his fork to point at Keith.

“The threat, I don’t think it’s coming from outside the woods, I think it’s coming from inside it,” Keith answered in a tight voice, gaze growing more focused and harsh with each passing word. This wasn’t his mad-harsh voice though; it was his we’re in danger-harsh voice. Lance bit his lip next to him, arms resting on the table as his expression grew more serious too. “There used to be noises, near the foot of the mountain. I thought it was real wolves but …”

“Now it looks like it was some bad weres,” Hunk finished for him, letting out a small groan that Lance quickly mirrored. This had Iverson and his faction at the Garrison written all over it, but until they had proof it was him, none of them had a leg to stand on with accusing him of attacking the Altean woods. It was akin to treason. Hunk glanced over at Keith with a half-smile. “Good thing we’re gonna have you back soon.”

“Yeah it is,” Keith answered, voice small. But then he smirked, gaze like it used to be during training for a moment, and Hunk felt his heart skip a beat. They might just all be okay in the end after all.

****

It was a few days later when Hunk decided to turn things from okay to _awesome_ , because they deserved it. He smiled down at the area he’d planned out, three secret trips to town well worth the effort. He put the bags of seeds on the ground, hoping he’d picked out something Keith liked in there. “Keith? Can you come here?”

“Sure, what’s up?” Keith called, sliding through the back door, ears twitching a little as the cool morning air hi them. They froze a second later, going straight as the rest of Keith did, his mouth falling open a little as he took in Hunk’s surprise. Hunk gave him a small smile, playing with his gloves a little as the silence brought out his nerves. “Hunk are these … planter boxes?”

“I didn’t know how you liked to garden, you don’t need to use them if you don’t want to,” Hunk answered, shrugging a little as Keith knelt down next to the boxes, glancing at them almost reverently, like they were Shiro or something. He glanced back up at Hunk, smile small and crooked. Hunk thought maybe Keith liked them. “I just figured it’d be nice for you to have some space to garden since you like to.”

“They’re nice, Hunk,” Keith muttered, voice warm, cocking his head a little as he glanced up at Hunk. Then he winced, muttering a curse under his breath before giving Hunk a determined look. “That means a lot to me, it’s combining all my favorite things.”

Hunk blinked, biting back a laugh because he didn’t want to hurt his feelings when Keith was trying to be sweet. It was kind of cute, how awkward Keith was when he wasn’t trying to be a tough guy. But wait, his favorite things? “What?”

“Well, I mean, you know, the quiet of the nature, but also having the pack nearby,” Keith said, voice barely above a whisper. Keith’s gaze was gentle as he pulled himself to his feet. Hunk grinned back at him, cocking his head at the other boy. Keith didn’t use the word ‘pack’ for anyone but Shiro at the Garrison. It was a nice change. “Thank you. I really like it.”

“Well good, because I really like you,” Hunk said with a soft smile, leaning over to ruffle Keith’s hair the way he’d seen Shiro do a few times. Keith frowned a little at the moment, eyebrows sloping down so it was more of a pout than a glare. Hunk gave him a sheepish smile as he pulled his hand back, because message received. That was a Shiro only move.

“Oh,” Keith murmured softly, cheeks flushing as he took in Hunk’s words, biting his lips softly. Keith’s gaze is soft and almost dreamy as he stared at Hunk, and Hunk can feel himself starting to blush too. “I really like you too.”

“Well, good, everyone agrees,” Hunk said suddenly, looking away so Keith didn’t see him blushing. It was one thing for Keith to feel embarrassed about expressing affection after years of not being allowed to or feeling like he wasn’t, but Hunk probably just looked like he had a crush. Which isn’t untrue, but now doesn’t feel like the time. “So how long have you been gardening? Who taught you, or did you learn it in a book?”

“I guess I did read a lot,” Keith answered with a small laugh, and Hunk’s memory flashed with Keith sitting in the rec room at the Garrison, book in hand and paying no attention to the world around him. Maybe Keith was just as much of a nerd as the rest of them. “But no, I used to garden with my dad when I was little, before he passed away.”

“Oh,” Hunk said, blinking a little as he glanced over at Keith. He didn’t talk about his dad or his life before the Garrison, pretty much ever, “What did you guys grow?”

“Mostly vegetables, but a couple of flowers and herbs sometimes,” Keith answered with a fond smile, gazing down at the tomato and squash seeds Hunk had picked up for him. He looked like he might coo at them and Hunk wanted to hug him, but just managed to restrain himself. Keith had never been big on hugging in the past, which probably hadn’t changed since. “Mint.”

“Oh man, you’re gonna grow me so many ingredients,” Hunk murmured, not able to keep the dreamy excitement out of his voice as he clasped his hands together. Keith let out a small laugh, leaning toward Hunk as they started walking back to the door for dinner.

“We have more in common than I thought,” Keith said suddenly; voice hesitant and then more sure, more determined. His gaze was pointed as he stared up at Hunk. “Or at least things that work well together.”

“Yeah, we do,” Hunk agreed with a warm smile, pulling out Keith’s own, the one he used to reserve just for Shiro. It was nice, that he was starting to use it more and more for the rest of them. Hunk wished he got a special Keith smile of his own though, and then tried to push the feeling away because it wasn’t fair to Keith or himself. Then he smiled playfully, nudging Keith with his shoulder. “You know, I read too.”

* * *

“Hey Hunk, I wanted to … I know I’ve said this a lot the past few days,” Keith called out on the way to his bedroom that night, the because it wasn’t just the planter. It was the weeks of meals and warm conversation and shopping. All of it made Keith feel less alone and more like he was part of a group, like he really did belong in their pack after all. Hunk did all of that for _him_. “Just, you’ve done a lot to help me get back on track.”

“I know you’d do the same for me,” Hunk answered after a beat, smile warm from where he stood near his and Lance’s door. There seemed to be no question in his mind that Keith would and Keith stiffened a little, gaze dropping to the floor at the kindness someone like him didn’t deserve. Not at all.

“I think I would, yeah,” Keith said, and he thought he would, now. He used too … Keith didn’t grow up with family or friends. The only thing he focused on was surviving until he was almost 14. Then he met Shiro, and it was survival and Shiro and the mission. Now, now there was even more than that, and Keith was terrified of it even as he felt the bonds growing deep in his soul. “But I mean it. You really helped me feel like part of the pack again and just, not feel so alone.”

“Well, you’re not alone, you got us, and you’re kind of stuck with us,” Hunk said with a warm smile, gaze kind as he took a step back into his bedroom. Keith smiled back softly, resisting the urge to reach out and touch Hunk’s cheek or his shoulder. “Good night, Keith.”

Keith watched as the door closed, the hallway suddenly nearly pitch black, save his better than average night vision. If Keith listened closely, he could almost hear the sound of his footsteps falling across the floor. He sighed and turned, walking the few steps to his and Shiro’s room, before glancing back at Hunk’s and Lance’s door one last time. “Night, Hunk.”

Keith walked to his room, glancing over to where Shiro was sitting on his bed reading a book. Keith glanced over at him, gaze anxious as he waited for Shiro to notice him. Eventually Shiro glanced over at him, raising an eyebrow as he saw the look on Keith’s face. The other shot up to when Keith climbed on the foot of his bed, arms crossed as he stared down at Shiro’s violet comforter.

“Hey Shiro,” Keith murmured, arms crossed and still staring at the reassuring shades of purple beneath him, though he could feel Shiro’s eyes on him. “Thanks for finding me.”

“I promise I always will,” Shiro swore, voice tight as he leaned forward to look Keith in the eye, his own ears dropping slightly. His expression was tinged with guilt, gaze heavy. Keith frowned, shaking his head a little, because that wasn’t what he was going for. He really was bad at expressing himself. “I just wish we’d gotten there sooner.”

“And I wish I hadn’t run away,” Keith said, voice pointed as he quirked one eyebrow at Shiro, playfully punching him in the shoulder. Shiro snickered, shaking his head a little before his expression grew more serious, more worried. Keith sighed a little, because he knew that look. It meant Shiro was worried for him, not just about him.

“Keith,” Shiro murmured, tone almost painfully gentle as Keith glanced up at him, biting his lip. Keith had been swallowing his feeling for weeks, not wanting to be more of a burden than he already was with his temporary loss of strength and speed. But now that he was physically better, the emotions had a funny way of coming to surface.

“I left the pack because I was scared and angry, and I didn’t … I didn’t let myself care so no one would care back. That way no one gets hurt,” Keith started, trying to keep his voice neutral so Shiro wouldn’t cut him off. Keith knew his gaze betrayed him, the guilt heavy in his chest, but he still pushed on. Shiro deserved to hear him admit this. “But we all still did.”

“Because you _did_ care and then you left,” Shiro corrected, voice firm but warm as he leaned over to press a hand against Keith’s shoulder. Keith felt a burning in the back of his eyes and swallowed dryly. He really hoped he didn’t cry, he hated crying. “And you came back, Keith. You found your way home to the pack, even if you had to take a detour.”

“Yeah,” Keith answered with a wet laugh, a few tears escaping his eyes against his will. Keith wiped them away hurriedly, smiling crookedly at Shiro.

Shiro grinned back, expression soft as he stared at Keith. When Keith kept sitting there wordlessly, tears gone, Shiro’s gaze grew wrier and his smile turned into a smirk instead. Keith had the feeling that Shiro knew he had something embarrassing on his mind, and he hated it. “Was there something else you wanted to talk about?”

“I have a crush on Hunk,” Keith blurted out before crossing his arms again, glaring over at Shiro with a pout. Shiro snickered softly and then a little louder, shaking his head as he picked up his book again to try and hide his expression, like it wasn’t several minutes too late for that. Keith was starting to regret being found, after all. The embarrassment was worse than the cave.

“Yeah, that was pretty obvious,” Shiro said when he finally stopped laughing and dropped his book to the side, though he still had a shit-eating grin on his face.

Keith leaned forward; putting on his most determined face to let Shiro know he was serious about this and he was going to do whatever it took to win Hunk over. Shiro snickered all over again and Keith let out a groan. He needed a new tactic here. “I need you to help me win him over, I’ll help you get Allura or Ulaz, or whatever.”

“Yeah, don’t think you’d be a lot of help there,” Shiro snorted, shaking his head a little when Keith threw out Ulaz. Keith shrugged, because maybe older men were Shiro’s type. Not like he ever dated for Keith to know one way or the other. Shiro then smiled warmly, leaning forward to ruffle Keith’s hair like Hunk had, a gentle reminder his crush thought of him like a six year old. “But Keith, Hunk already likes you –“

“I swear I’ll hit you if you say be yourself,” Keith cut him off, glaring when Shiro grinned sheepishly, pulling his hand back. Keith let out a small sigh as Shiro said exactly that, tiredly nodding along to his advice. It might be cliché, but Keith could use any help he could get.


End file.
